William Crombie b. 1862 Carnwath, Lanarkshire
 

William Crombie is recorded as a clerk aged 19 on the 1881 Scotland census.
He married Janet Seggie in 1883, in West Calder, Edinburgh. They had 4 daughters by 1890 when he was an accounts clerk in Heaton, (Lancs?)
Janet died in 1897 I think, and by 1899 William had married Mary Cassidy in Newcastle Upon Tyne and had another daughter Williamina.
Mary, her 2 year old daughter and 3 of her step daughters are on a 1901 England census, but William is missing. I can't find any William Crombie on either an English or Scottish 1901 census matching his age or profession.
He does reappear by 1911 ( they have a son, Willie in 1903) and the older girls have left home.
Can anyone help solve the puzzle of where William had gone, or was it normal to omit the head of the house if he were just out working?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

The household census entry was supposed to list everyone who spent the night there, so he wouldn't be omitted just for being out at work in the daytime, only if he was out working all night! Unlikely for an accountant.

By the way, the Heaton where they lived was in Northumberland.

I can't find him either. It's possible that the census enumerator accidentally missed him out when copying the household entry onto the form. Or he could have been out of the country.

Or he could have been elsewhere in GB but missed by the enumerator there etc. For instance, if he was staying in a hotel or boarding house for the night he might easily have been missed or his details may have been recorded in such a way that he is unrecognisable!

Thank you KiteRunner and Merry,
I think that explanation that he was accidentally missed seems likely because the enumerator records Mary as 'wife' which rather suggests William is present.
I was just hoping he hadn't run off!

I've often wondered what happened to people who travelled on overnight trains.

OC